


Differences

by jujubiest



Series: Barry Loves Harry [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Almost Kiss, Barrison Prompts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 06:53:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5324687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujubiest/pseuds/jujubiest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nicole Moon requested a sequel to World Tour: Maybe like...they are about to kiss for the first time, but someone interrupts and finally they didn't do it. I'd love to read this situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Differences

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nicole Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Nicole+Moon).



> So this is part of World Tour+Shirt Shopping+Novelties. You can decide where you want it to fall, it can technically be either before or after Novelties.

Barry steps out onto the rooftop, breathing in the cold night air. He gazes out over the lights of Central City and smiles at the difference between tonight and the night before.

He likes to do that sometimes—come up here where he can see the progress they’ve been making, rebuilding it. There are still dark scars on the cityscape, but less and less every night. He hopes that soon they’ll all be gone, everything repaired that can be.

Unfortunately, some things never can be.

“It looks so different from my city,” says a voice. “Even from way up here.”

Barry turns and finds that he’s not alone. Harrison Wells is sitting perched on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling over, hands braced on his thighs as he leans over to look down.

“It’s beautiful, though,” he observes as Barry joins him. “Even with all the differences. It’s not what I’m used to…but it’s beautiful.”

“Differences can be a good thing,” Barry says, looking out across the city. He thinks about the differences between this man and the one _he_ was used to. He’s sharper, more real. Less kind in some ways, but more genuine. Barry doesn’t fool himself that he knows everything about the man sitting next to him, but he likes to think he at least knows that he is who he says he is.

“I suppose they can,” Harrison says after a moment. “There’s no one like you back home.” He states it like a simple fact, the way he says so many things that sound like they ought to have more weight to them.

“So there’s not a Barry Allen in the mail room at Central City Picture News? Or maybe working as a plumber in the suburbs somewhere?”

Harrison chuckles, and it sounds a little sad. “You know…I really doubt it. I don’t think we have a Barry Allen. If we did, and he was anything like you, he’d have found his way here sooner or later.”

 

“Maybe he’s not anything like me at all,” Barry says. “Look at Linda and Doctor Light. They couldn’t be more different.”

“True,” Harrison concedes. “And there’s me…apparently my counterpart wasn’t even _really_ me. Although by all accounts, he was nicer.”

A bitter sort of laugh escapes Barry, almost against his will.

“Oh yeah, he was super nice, when he wasn’t dressing up like my evil twin and trying to kill everyone I love. Believe me…I’d take you over him, any day.”

“I guess it’s not a very high bar to climb over,” Harrison observes ruefully. Barry gives him a look, one he can’t quite read.

“I dunno,” Barry says. “Sometimes…I wonder if maybe the real Wells would’ve been more like you. Everyone who knew him before thinks he was pretty great, and he was definitely brilliant. But him, I never knew. And the one I did know terrified me. You…you’re a good man, Harry. You’re doing a good thing here, with us. You’re trying. That means something.”

“I guess,” Harrison says, not sounding like he believes it.

“Hey.” Barry reaches out without thinking and cups his head, forcing Harrison to meet his eyes. “It means a lot to me.”

There’s a look in Harrison’s eyes, familiar and strange, somewhere between hopeful and hopelessly lost. Barry’s seen it before, but he’s never allowed himself to hang anything on it, risk anything for it.

Now, though, they’re alone, the city sprawled out below them, breathtaking in its beauty. Harrison’s hair is soft beneath his fingers, and Barry tangles them into the strands, finds himself leaning in—

His phone beeps. He freezes.

Harrison sighs, and Barry feels his breath ghost against his lips. He unwinds his hand from Harrison’s hair reluctantly and pulls his phone from his pocket.

“That would be Cisco,” Barry says, looking up at Harrison apologetically. Harrison gives him a rueful grin.

“Go on,” he says softly. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Barry nods, turns to go. He’s almost to the access door when Harrison stops him with a word.

“Barry?”

He turns. Harrison is looking away from him, out over the city.

“You mean a lot to me, too,” he says to the open air.

Barry nods again, and turns back to the access door, a smile finding his lips as he heads down to the Cortex to see what Cisco needs.


End file.
